Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Method and apparatus for ~orming
words of printed characters
This invention reiates to a method and apparatus
for ~orming words of printed characters on strips of
tape,
The invention of the dry transfer lettering sheet
in the late 1950's provided an inexpensive way to
obtain high quality printing for virtually any purpose.
Typically, a dry transfer sheet comprises a light-
transmitting carrier sheet on which a font o~ lettersis printed (e.g. by screen printing). The carrier
sheet has high release qualities and the printed surface
is coated with a low-tack adhesive. When it is desired
to use the sheet, the adhesive surface is placed on a
receiving surface and its position adjusted until a
selected letter overlies a desired area of the receiving
sur~ace. The back of the sheet at the selected letter
is then burnished with a stylus or the like. The
burnishing action ~unctions to release the letter from
the carrier sheet and simultaneously activate the low-
tack adhesive, causing the letter to adhere to the
receiving surface. The letter is printed in reverse on
the carrier sheet and, therefore, is viewed directly on
the receiving surface. (See Mackenzie U.S. Patent
Specifications Nos. 3,131,106 and 3,21?,913).
Formal training is not required to achieve
excellent results using dry transfer lettering sheets.
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However, some degree o~ judgement is necessary to ensure
proper spacing and base-line alignment of the letters.
In an effort to minimise even this relatively
modest level of skill, Kroy Industries, Inc. has
introduced a lettering machine which enables the user
to form a word on the non-adhesive surface of a
transparent adhesive tape which can then be adhered in
its entirety to a receiving surface, for example, an
advertising layout, blueprint, or the like. (~ machine
of this general type is shown in ~.S. Patent Specifica-
tion No. 3,834,507.) The baseline alignment and spacing
between letters is controlled automatically.
The Kroy machine is relatively expensive and
somewhat cumbersome (about the size of a small type- -
write~3but is very easy to use, requiring virtually noskill, However, although automatic base-line alignment
is desirable,better results are generally obtained if the
user has some control over letter spacing. Moreover,
the machine provides only a relatively limited number
of typefaces and type sizes, and the definition of the
typed letters is inferior to that of dry transfer
lettering. In addition, because the Kroy machine
~ involves a carbon paper type transfer which appears on
the exposed (upper) surface of the tape/ the images
~5 tend ~o smudge when the tapes are handled.
French Patent Specification No.1,214,051 discloses
a transfer system including a transparent or translucent
adhesive coated receptor sheet which can be used to
pick letters sequentially from a release-surfaced
sheet on which those letters are printed. The system
there described, however, is cumbersomeand has never
been commercialised. No apparatus for use with such a
system is disclosed in Specification No. 1,214,051,
British Patent Specification No. 906,935 discloses such
apparatus, but it is cumbersome to use and has never
been commercially available.
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The problem underlying the invention is to provide
a device for use in forming words or other legends on
tape which is inexpensive and easy to operate, and
wherein the definition of the individual letters is
comparable to that of a printed image. A further
object of the invention is to provide a device which
overcomes or at least ~essens the above-mentioned
drawbacks of the Kroy machine and the apparatus o~
Specification No. 906,935 and which is no more difficult
or time-consuming to operate, and which can be used
easily and quickly to form transferred legends on labels
which can then be applied w~ere desired.
In accordance with the invention, a novel tape
dispensing device is used in conjunction with a
character sheet containing letters or other characters
printed on a carrier sheet having high release
characteristics. The dispenser contains a roll of a
pellucid adhesive tape (e.g.*'lScotch" brand tape) which
can be dispensed e.g. through an opening in the
dispenser, and brought to lie on a frame extending from
the dispenser adjacent the opening. The frame includes
an elongated window, the width o~ which is less than the
width o~ the tape. In use, a strip of tape is pulled
from the dispenser and a~hered to the frame overlying
the window The user then places a selected area of
the strip of tape overlying the window above a selected
character on the carrier sheet and applies pressure to
the back of the tape. This forces the tacky (adhesive)
surface b~ the tape into contact with the selected
character only so that when pressure is removed, return
- of the tape to its original position lifts the selected
character from the carrier sheet, thus causing the
printed character to be transferred ~rom the character
sheet to a selected area o~ the tape. The procedure
; 35 is repeated until the desired word is formed on the
strip of tape within the window. The piece of tape
Trad~mark
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bearing the word can then be severed from the roll to
form a label which can then be adhered to a receiving
surface with the transparent tape overlying the word
as a protective ~ilm.
Typically, the method of the invention is used to
form the labels with words, the letters being
sequentially transferred from sheets of printed letters.
However, the process is not limited to lettering, and
as used herein7 the term "character" is intended to
include any type of indicia such as letters, numerals
or symbols. The term "word" as used herein thus means
any assemblage of characters. - - -
In accordance with a further feature of the
invention, the tape dispenser may be part of an
apparatus which provides base-line alignment of the
transferred letters. In this respect, a base is
provided on which the character sheet is secured. A
slide is mounted on the base for horizontal movement
relative to the sheet and the tape dispenser is mounted
on the slide so that the tape dispenser can move
vertically. Hence, any portion of the tape overlying
- the window can be positioned over any selected letter
to effect transfer of that letter, The letters are
printed on the indicia sheet in rows with a preselected
dis-tance between adjacent rows, and the tape dispenser
and slide include cooperating indexing means so that
the window is indexed to the same base~line position
relative to each o~ the rows.
The invention is illustrated in more detail and
by way of example with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a plan view of apparatus embodying
-the invention;
Figure 2 is a front view showing the apparatus
of Figure 1;
Figure 2A is a magni~ied cross~sectional view of
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- the character sheet and adhesive tape which can be
used with the invention;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the
tape dispenser device and movable slide;
Figure 4 is a top view of the slide showing the
indexing mechanism;
Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5
of Figure 3; and
Figure 6 shows how application of pressure flexes
the frame defining the window.
Figures 1 to 6 show features of apparatus
constitu~ing a preferred embodiment of the invention.
The apparatus includes a rectangular base 10 having
parallel elongated tracks 14 in its two long sides. A
slide 18 ~ormed as shown in Figure 3 bridges the base
10 and slidffi horizontally (for example) within tracks
14. A character sheet 20 is accurately aligned on the
top surface of base 10 by means of alignment pins 22
which pass through precisely located alignment holes
(not numbered) within the sheet 20~
The character sheet 20 in the illustrated embodi-
ment includes rows of letters of a selected size and
typeface. Structurallyl as shown in Figure 2A, the
character sheet 20 comprises a carrier sheet 26 (not
Z5 necessarily light-txansmitting) having at least one
surface of high release properties on which letters 28
are printed, The opposite (rear) surface of the
carrier sheet 26 may be coated with an adhesive 30 so
that the sheet will adhere tightly to the upper surface
, 30 of the base 10 for reasons which will becGme apparent.
i Conversely, the base may be coated wi~h an adhesive, or
j mechanical means may be used to hold the charactèr
sheet against the base 10 so that the individual letters
may be pulled from character sheet 20 as explained
below.
Any of many different known materials may be used
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in conventional fashion to make the character sheet 20.
As one example, the carrier sheet 26 may be polyethylene,
the characters 28 may be screen printed using a
nitrocellulose based ink, and the adhesive 30 may be an
acrylic adhesi~e coated (e.g. by screen printing an
area of adhesive) on the back of the polyethylene
carrier.
A tape dispenser 32 con-tains a roll of pellucid,
adhesive tape 34. Tape 34 preferably comprises a
transparent plastic backing 35 coated with an
agressively tacky adhesive 37 (Figure 2A). Numerous
- types of commercially available transparent or
translucent adhesive tape may be used as tape 34.
The roll of tape 34 is rotatably mounted within
~5 dispenser 32 in conventional fashion. The tape (viewed
in Figure 2) rotates in a clockwise direction so that
the tape may be pulled through an opening 36 a-t the base
of dispenser 32. In accordance with the invention, an
elongated rectangular frame 40 extends from the dis-
20 penser 32 adjacent the opening 36. The frame 40 includesa similarly shaped window 4Z, the short dimension o~
which is less than the width of the tape 34 so that the
edges of the tape can be adhered to the upper surface
of the frame defining the window 42. A cutting edge 46
25 is provided at the end of frame 40 opposite opening 35
to sever strips of tape from the roll 34.
As shown in Figure 5, -the ~rame 40 is channel
shaped in cross section with two short downwardly
depending rims 50 supporting the surface which defines
window 42 slightly above the printed character sheet 20.
The distance between the rims 50 is such that the frame
-straddles a row o~ letters on character sheet 20 when
the frame 40 is aligned for transfer.
The slide 18 includes a central generally rectangu-
lar Gpening 60 having a series of detents 62 along oneedge. These detents are spaced apart a distance equal
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to the distance X (Figure 1), which is the distance
between the base-lines of adjacent rows of printed
letters on'the character sheet 20.
The tape dispenser 32 and the attached frame 40
are mounted on a dispenser carriage which comprises an
upper generally U-shaped bracket 64 and a stepped block
66 secured together by screws 68, The stepped block
66 includes an upper portion 70 and a lower portion 72
so that when the bracket 64'and block 66 are secured
together, the upper portion 70 slides within the
opening 60, with the lower portion 72 and the carriage
64 preventing removal of the carriage from the opening.
An indexing mechanism includes two steel balls 76
- and coil springs 78 in channels (not numbered) within
the upper portion 70 of bl'ock 66. The balls 76 can
be biased by springs 78 into pairs of detents 62 to
en~ble the user to position the carriage (and thus the
tape dispenser mechanism) in exact alignment with any
of the printed rows of letters on the indicia sheet 20.
Figure 4 illustrates the manner in which the steel
balls 76 nest within detents 62 to index carriage 64 so
that the window 42 will be positioned in the same
- relative position with the letters of each row. This
provides automatic base-line alignment of the letters
transferred to the tape.
As shown in Figure 3, the bracket 64 is shaped to
form a channel that can receive,a complementary T-shaped
mounting block 80 secured to the bottom of the tape
dispenser ~2.
,The apparatus is used by pulling a length of the
tape from dispenser 37 across the frame 40 and applying
light pressure to the tape causing it to adhere to the
- top surface of frame 40 with a sub~tantial part of the
tape overlying the window 42. The tape dispenser is
then moved vertically and horîzontaily until a selected
letter appears in the window at the desired location.
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Pressure is then applied to the rear surface of the
tape strip 34 direc-tly above the selected letter. This
may be done as shown in Figure 6 by means of a blunt
instrument 90 having a rubber tip 92 which will cause
only the area of the tape strip ad~,acent the selected
letter to contact only the selected letter.
A beneficial feature of the inven-tion resides in
the flexibility of the frame 40. Thus, as shown in
Figure 6, when pressure is applied to the rear surface
of the tape strip within the window 42, the upper edges
of the frame 40 tend to flex downwardly, enabling the
tape to contact the selected letter 28. When pressure
; is released, the elasticity of the frame causes the
tape to lift off of the surface of the indicia sheet 20.
15 Because the tape includes relatively tacky adhesive and
since the carrier sheet 26 has high release properties,
; the effect is to transfer the letter or other
character 28 from thé carrier sheet 26 to the adhesive
tape 34.
- 20 In the same ~ashion the entire word is composed by
transferring successive letters, with the tape dispenser
being moved appropriately to select and transfer the
desired letters with proper spacing therebetween~ Because
of the detent mechanism, the base-lines of the letters
~ ~ 25 will be automatically aligned; however, the user can
; adjust the spacing between adjacent letters by moving
the slide 18.
After the desired word has been formed on the tape,
the tape is lifted from the frame 40 and pulled from
the dispenser. The tape strip bearing the formed word
can then be severed from the tape roll by means of the
knife edge 46 leaving a second blank strip of tape in
position over the window 42. The severed tape strip
containing the desired word may then be adhered to any
desired receiving surface using the tacky adhesive.
Since the letters a7e on the same side of the ta~e as
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the adhesive, -the clear backing serves as a protective
~ilm after the tape has been adhered -to a receiving
surface.
It is contempla-ted that character sheets containing
characters of different sizes will be used. For large
differences in size, it may be desirable to have
interchangeable dispensers (and frames) of different
widths.
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